cannabis swab test

Drug tests are an unfortunate reality of many workplaces. However, you can consider yourself lucky if you’re a cannabis consumer who has been hired for a job that only tests for saliva (a swab test). Compared with a urine test, or an even more invasive hair test, marijuana leaves the saliva much quicker.

The presence of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a compound found in cannabis, is what most tests are searching more. If you’re a daily smoker, studies have shown that in most instances it should be completely out of the system after 72 hours of abstaining from using cannabis. In some instances, a daily smoker can pass a test in a shorter amount of time. In most all instances, though, 72 hours is enough time for the THC to leave the system.

However, in some rare cases it can take up to a week for cannabis to leave the saliva. It never, however, will take longer than a week.

Factors:

Below are some of the factors that will effect how long THC does stay in your saliva:

Potency: Unsurprisingly if you consume cannabis with a high percentage of THC, it’s likely to stay in your saliva longer.

Frequency of Use: Other than potency, this is the most important factor in determining how long THC stays in your saliva.. If you only smoke once a month or even once a week, you very well may pass a saliva test after 24-48 hours of abstaining. If you smoke daily, it will likely be out of your system after 48-72 hours.

Metabolism: If you have a “fast metabolism”, you’re body is likely to flush the THC from your saliva quicker.

By comparison, marijuana can be detected in the urine of a daily smoker for up to two months. When it comes to a hair follicle test, THC can be detected in some instances six months or longer after someone last use marijuana.